IP & Licensing Due Diligence
Anweshna reads IP assignment agreements, licence schedules, and software bills of materials for the ownership and contamination risks that can undermine a deal's core value.
What it screens for
- Unassigned core IP — IP not formally assigned to the company, with the inventor names still holding rights.
- Copyleft contamination — a product built on GPL or similarly licensed code that could force disclosure obligations.
- Patent infringement claims — the specific patent number and the plaintiff bringing the claim.
- Change-of-control termination risk — in-licensed critical technology that a licensor can pull the moment the deal closes.
- SBOM and assignment gaps — missing software bill-of-materials coverage and un-assigned IP from named employees or contractors.
Why it's a blocking category
IP & Licensing carries a 6% weight and is one of seven categories that can independently flag a deal for mandatory review — any document scoring 70 or above here halts the deal until a human reviews it. For many acquisitions, the target's IP is the actual asset being purchased; an unassigned patent or a change-of-control termination clause on core licensed technology can undercut the entire rationale for the deal.
If a document discloses nothing at all in this category, that absence itself becomes a flagged finding rather than being read as "clean."
IP & Licensing Due Diligence FAQ
What does Anweshna screen for in IP & Licensing Due Diligence?
Anweshna screens deal documents for unassigned core IP, copyleft contamination, and patent infringement claims, among other signals. See the full list of signals above.
Is IP & Licensing Due Diligence a blocking risk category?
Yes — IP & Licensing Due Diligence carries a 6% weight in Anweshna's composite score and is one of the categories that can independently flag a deal for mandatory review: any document scoring 70 or above here halts the deal until a human reviews it.